We understand that the typical scammer probably is very busy and as a result may not have the time to give their letters all the attention they deserve, but there is a point at which slipshod workmanship begins to take a toll.
This is an example of just such shoddy work.
Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2011 11:24 AM
Subject: RE:
Good day i am Lin Wang i have a business proposal in the tune of $11,300,000.00 (Eleven Million Three Hundred thousand US Dollars, to invest on biz activities in your country with your assistance on % rates and risk free me for more info.
Had our writer left off here, this would have been a prime example of the lower end of the fraudulent letter scale; perhaps a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10. It is poorly written and grammatically disastrous, not to mention parenthetically challenged.
Our dear writer must have realized that he was going to make a poor showing with such a paltry plea for assistance so he opened up his files and did some plagiarizing.
Good Day,
I am Malcolm Burnett a staff of NatWest Bank Plc, UK. I have a lucrative
business proposal for you to handle, for your review time is of the
essence, i strongly believe we could mutually benefit from this scenario,
contact me via this email if interested:(malcolmburnett910@hotmail.com )
Kind Regards
Malcolm Burnett (Mr.)Good Day,
I am Malcolm Burnett a staff of NatWest Bank Plc, UK. I have a lucrative
business proposal for you to handle, for your review time is of the
essence, i strongly believe we could mutually benefit from this scenario,
contact me via this email if interested:(malcolmburnett910@hotmail.com )
Kind Regards
Malcolm Burnett (Mr.)Good Day,
I am Malcolm Burnett a staff of NatWest Bank Plc, UK. I have a lucrative
business proposal for you to handle, for your review time is of the
essence, i strongly believe we could mutually benefit from this scenario,
contact me via this email if interested:(malcolmburnett910@hotmail.com )
Kind Regards
Malcolm Burnett (Mr.)
In order to beef up his attempt to part us from our funds, Mr./Mrs./Ms. Lin Wang decided to become the Malcolm Burnett triplets. This improved the chance of a reply as there was an email address supplied again and again and again. Certainly this would be enough and so one was likely to notice the name change or the repetition. Let’s hit send. But, then again, maybe it needs something more.
Let’s review. We have an Oriental business person and three staff members of a British bank. What more could we need? Ah, yes. A lawyer, or more properly – a Barrister.
Are they called Barristers in the UK because of the difference in accents between the United States and England. Would someone saying, “Oy! He’s a bloody lawyer!” sound too much like the truth. We digress.
We immediately see the problem some people have with lawyers and barristers. No sooner does one get involved then $5.3 million of the original $11.3 million vanishes without a trace leaving only $6 million. We were better off with Wang.
Please Contact Barr Ellis Bryan Now For Your Draft $6,000,000.00 USD
Dear Friend,
How are you today? Hope all is well with you and your family.
I hope this mail meets you in a perfect condition. You may not understand why this mail came to you. But if you do not remember me, you might have received an email from me in the past regarding a multi-million-dollar business proposal which we never concluded.I am using this opportunity to inform you that this multi-million-dollar business has been concluded with another person who financed it to a logical conclusion.
I thank you for your great effort to our unfinished transfer of fund into your account due to one reason or the other best known to you.But I want to inform you that I have successfully transferred the fund out of the security company to my new partner’s account in Nigeria that was capable of assisting me in this great venture.
Due to your effort, sincerity, courage and trustworthiness you showed during the course of the transaction I want to compensate you and show my gratitude to you with the sum of Six million United State Dollar ($6,000,000.00), I have left an international certified bank draft for you worth about $6,000,000.00 USD cashable anywhere in the world.
My dear friend I will like you to contact Barr. Ellis Bryan for the collection of this international certified bank draft have authorized to release the international certified bank draft to you as soon as you contact him regarding this issue. the moment, I’m very busy here because
of the investment projects which myself my new partner are having at hand.
Please I will like you to accept comply with Barr. Ellis Bryan so that he will send the draft to you without any delay.
CONTACT: Barrister Ellis David Bryan
ADDRESS: 15 MillmarkGroove SE146RL, Lagos, Nigeria.
EMAIL:barrellisbryan02@gmail.com
Therefore, you should send him your full Name and telephone number/your address where you want him to send the draft to you.Thanks and God bless you and your family. I am very busy now i may not reply to any email for some time.
Best Regards
Mr.David Moore.
We have seen this letter from David Moore before. In fact, we have seen it twice. We shall defer analysis for another day. It is worthy of getting its chance to shine on its own merits.
We suspect that our writer must have a file of clever letters stashed away from which he/she/it culls paragraphs from time to time. Should they ever receive any funding from their nefarious undertakings, we would like to suggest that they avail themselves of the services of a proofreader.
Needless to say, there is no $11.3 million or $6 million. Neither is there a lucrative business proposal waiting.
No, this is simply a Fraud.
Do not be fooled should this clever attempt on your wallet arrive in your inbox. Delete it and go on with your life.
That is all.
How to spot a Fraud 
It boggles my mind sometimes – surely some of these attempts must be successful, otherwise they wouldn’t still be turning up in these numbers. That amazes me mainly because of the fact that almost all of these letters are so poorly written, to the degree that even when I try my best, and knowing something about how these scams usually work, I can’t for the best of intentions make out what they are trying to tell me. Of course these scams target the most stupid among the stupid, but to derive any meaning from them at all sometimes seems to require deep knowledge of several foreign languages, or a degree in linguistics.
Incidentally, I found this blog post through googling the definitely very honourable and absolutely really existing Barrister Ellis David Bryan. Four years on, Mr. David Moore is still sending out the completely unchanged, same scam letter.